Monday, August 29, 2011

Last day of Ramadhan

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahhi wabarokatuh

Good afternoon to you amazing blog readers out there!

I realized that I’ve never started any of my blogs with that, and since this it’s Ramadhan, I thought I might as well be a bit more religious haha.

Today is the last day of the holy month of Ramadhan. I’m somewhat happy about this because I won’t have to fast all day anymore, but I’m also sad to see Ramadhan go as I know that Ramadhan is a month of awesomeness too. However, if I’m lucky enough, I’ll be able to experience another month of Ramadhan next year.

Okay, so, fasting in Singapore is totally different from fasting in Indonesia.

In Singapore, it’s TOUGHER.

As I have said in one of my previous posts, the Muslim community is the minority in Singapore (although initially, the Malay Muslims were the ones occupying Singapore before the Indians and Chinese migrated to Singapore). Therefore, only a few people are fasting here. Which means that, fasting or not fasting, nothing around you changes. People still drink bubble teas as they walk on the streets, people can eat in front of you, disregarding the fact that you’re fasting. Sure, you can ask the person to not eat in front of you, but in my opinion, it just shows how weak you are. One of the aims of fasting is to understand what starving people go through every day, and what better way to experience this than watch other people eat in front of you? I know this sounds a bit off, but it’s true. In Indonesia, people won’t dare to eat in front of you, because most of the people are fasting. They’re more conscious to the fact that they have to respect the people who are fasting. Even restaurants have curtains so that the people fasting won’t have to witness the people eating in the restaurants. So… fasting is way easier in Indonesia. But you don’t learn as much as you do in Singapore.

In Indonesia, you can really FEEL THE VIBE.

When we have our morning meal (also referred to as sahur), there are TV shows in relation to sahur. And it’s on nearly every channel. Most of the channels have a comedy show thingy where top Indonesian comedians make jokes and all that stuff. There are also some religious shows, and there’s also a special drama TV series. In Singapore, I don’t really think there is any, or if there is, it mustn’t be that special because I haven’t heard of any. Oh, and in Indonesia, there are also break fast TV programmes.

If you go out on the streets, you will see loads of banners about special Ramadhan discounts, or special Ramadhan break fasting programmes. In school, you can go home earlier, usually by 1 hour or so, so that you can rest at home and not get too tired. In Singapore… as I said before, it’s like nothing changes.

That’s all for today. I CAN'T WAIT TO GO HOME ON THE 2nd of SEPTEMBER!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Preliminary Examinations

#countdown 8 days to the day when I'll meet my beloved family! ({})
(Or at least I hope so :-()

The Prelims just started this Monday. As usual, English first. English was okay, SS was difficult, Chemistry paper 2 was kind of difficult (and unpredictable!), E Maths paper 1 was okay, Geography was A KILLER PAPER (no other way to express it), A Maths paper 1 was kind of difficult but still manageable. Tomorrow's E Maths paper 2 and Chemistry paper 1. Physics and A Maths paper 2 will be after the school holiday. ...

Why oh why does the Prelim Exam has to be stretched over such a long period of time? And another thing I still don't get is why they schedule the Science practical (luckily only for the Combined Science pupils) during the September holiday?

"School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks and recess) are the periods during which schools are closed for study." -Wikipedia

Friday, August 19, 2011

Week 35, 2011

Being a SUPER MINORITY... How does it feel like?

I am a minority... and it's not the best thing in the world. I used to be the majority in Indonesia because I was the same as everyone else, and I'm Javanese, which if I'm not mistaken, is the biggest ethnicity Indonesia. So I was the total opposite of minority.

But now, (1) I'm living in a foreign country. (2) I am not Chinese, and I'm Malay [I'm not exactly Malay but I am Indonesian]. (3) Nobody in school takes the same class combination as me [true!] (4) I joined the school late so I'm sort of like the "newest" student in Sec4. So the point is... I'm different from everyone else. Which is good in a way... But it's also not so much of an advantage when you're talking about privileges and stuff.

So today, we had this Social Etiquette Workshop, which was cool, except for the fact that Muslims were excluded from the dining experience. Since we were fasting, we were only joining the workshop for the "studying theory" part and not the dining experience. It sucked really badly. And it's a total shame too...


The teachers said that the SE Workshop would also be a platform for class bonding. But how are we supposed to bond with the class when the class is not even complete? Another reason for this Workshop was to prepare us for interviews to get into JCs, Polys or maybe to get a job. But for all I know, the JC and Poly interviews are already done (or at least some of them are). So the timing is not exactly right. And next week will be the Prelims. And usually the week before Prelims or Common Tests or MYEs or EOYs is the most important week... So why take away our time that could have been used for studying? Why didn't the SE Workshop take place earlier this year? To think of it now, it even seems like it was planned so that the Muslims couldn't participate with their class. Although I know it isn't true, because I know the school is trying hard to not make the minorities feel left our or disadvantaged. Like for instance, Muslims who are fasting are dismissed from ASP earlier so that they can break fast at home. Which is cool. But because of this SE Workshop thing, it just feels weird...

So.. the question is "Why didn't you bring this up to the teacher?" Well, I was going to... But I thought even if I did, it wouldn't change anything as stuff like this need to be planned really early. And changing this would mean that the trainers would have to change their schedule. And postponing this would also mean that for the students who are going to go for interviews... They would be at a disadvantage because of not having the workshop earlier. So.. yeah. Never mind.

Mother Tongue 'O' Level Results Are OUT!

I got a.... B3 and distinction for Oral. It's not good enough.... I was quite satisfied with it at the beginning because I kind of knew all along that I'm not that good in Malay and I might get a B3. And I was correct. But then my Malay teacher came to me and said that I could do better and that I "have to" retake. So I guess I'll retake. And to think of it, I actually didn't put my 100% effort into it... Which might have been one of the main causes to my B3 and not A1/2. My parents also said the same thing, to retake. So I'm gonna retake.

Byebye to all you lovely people who read my blog and respect my opinions. :-)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Now Playing

#np Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine) by Gym Class Heroes



My heart's a stereo
It beats for you, so listen close
Hear my thoughts in every note, oh oh
Make me your radio
And turn me up when you feel low
This melody was meant for you
So sing along to my stereo

#np Don't Know Nothing by Maroon 5



I don't know nothing about that
In fact I don't know nothing at all
I'm tired of proving you right
By doing everything so wrong
So tell me what you really want
'Cause I don't wanna be
I don't wanna be alone

#np Moves Like Jagger (feat. Christina Aguilera) by Maroon 5


Just shoot for the stars
If it feels right
And aim for my heart
If you feel like
Can take me away
And make it OK
I swear I'll behave

#np Super Bass by Nicki Minaj



#np Price Tag (feat. B.o.B.)by Jessie J



It's not about the money, money, money
We don't need the money, money, money
We just wanna make the world dance
Forget about the price tag

#np Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars) by Bad Meets Evil



This one's for you and me
Living out our dreams
Lift my arms out wide
I open my eyes
And now all I wanna see
Is a sky full of lighters
A sky full of lighters

#np Skyscraper by Demi Lovato


You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
Like I'm made of glass
Like I'm made of paper
Go on and try to tear me down
I will be rising from the ground
Like a skyscraper
Like a skyscraper

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Singapore from the Eye of a Foreign Student


Singapore. What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'Singapore'?

I'm sure all of you know what Singapore is, (although if you don't, your proficiency in Geography and your general knowledge must be really poor) but just in case you don't know, Singapore is a city-state in South East Asia. From the picture above I guess you might have been able to infer that Singapore is indeed a developed and urbanised country. It's a pretty small country with a total area of 694 sq km (according to Wikipedia).

Now why am I writing about Singapore? I was just thinking, pondering, contemplating, and I just thought that there are some stuff about Singapore that I should post on my blog. And I just remembered that next Monday, which is the 9th of August, is Singapore's National Day. Oh, no wonder I thought of that. What perfect timing.

So, Singapore, to me, is a very nice place to live in. It's a developed country, so you don't have to worry that there might be poor internet connection here. In fact, the internet is pretty fast. The transportation system is fantastic. There's the MRT, LRT, Bus, and there are tons of taxis here too. The education is also *thumbs up*. And despite Singapore being an urbanised country and all, it's a pretty green place. There are parks and quite a lot of trees. There are tons of malls, a lot of libraries, a lot of restaurants, and well, let's just say you can find nearly everything here. But that's just the general opinion. There are other interesting facts about Singapore, such as....

SINGLISH

You ever heard of Singlish before? Don't worry if you haven't, because I have never in my life heard it until I came to Singapore. Singlish, according to my understanding, is Singapore-English. The everyday-language in Singapore is English, but because of the different races here, Chinese, Malay and Indian, they've made an influence on English and as a result, Singlish is produced. They say stuff like 'lah', 'leh', 'lor', 'hor', 'sia', 'siol', 'hor', 'mah', 'meh, and stuff like that. When you're living in Singapore, it's hard not to use Singlish, because it is contagious, like seriously. A ten word English sentence can be shortened to just 6 words. I try not to talk in Singlish, but however hard I try, some Singlish slips in. If you haven't heard people speaking in Singlish before, watch this:

Funny? :-)

MC MC MC

In Singapore, from what I've observed, people get sick easily. Nearly everyday there's always at least one person that's absent from school. And usually that's because they're sick. And I don't know whether this is normal or not, but in Singapore, if, for instance, today you have a runny nose. The next day I bet you'll be staying at home resting with an MC to cover your absence. I think Singaporeans get worried too easily. Once I had a runny nose and a cough, long story short, I was sort of having a flu. But I still went to school, even with my weird voice that time, which according to Google Translate is "Nasal tone voice" (in Indonesia -- suara bindeng). My friend called me one night and said "I heard you coughing a lot today, maybe you should go to he doctor." .... I'm alright. I'm okay. It's not like I'm dying... I mean, I understand. It is important to look out for your health. But it was just a runny nose and a cough. I didn't even have a fever and I didn't even feel dizzy or anything like that. Isn't that common? I usually don't take any medication and still recover.

Singaporeans are diligent.

Around a week ago, I went with two Indonesian friends to the cinema to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. While waiting, we went to the library and met a fellow Pei Hwaian. He asked us what were we doing here, my friend said we were waiting for the movie to start. And then he said "Wah nearly O level still can watch movie ah?" I was totally shocked, stunned, flabbergasted. Wow. The O Levels are 2.5 months away. And it turned out that he was studying at the library. Wow. You guys are so diligent.

Besides that, a lot of my friends have tuition during the weekends. In Indonesia, I don't think you will find that to be a common thing. In Singapore, it's pretty common. Actually I have tuition too on Sunday. But I only have tuition once a week, and it's only for like 1 to 1.5 hours.

Oh, another thing... Singaporeans like to study in restaurants. For instance, McDonald's. But isn't McDonald's sort of noisy? Yeah, I know. I don't understand either. I can understand that you like the food there so you wanna eat there... But why not eat and then study somewhere else?

Everyone in the public transportation has an earpiece plugged in their ears.

Well, okay, maybe not everyone. But a lot of people do.

Rushing here and there.

In the MRT, people are always rushing here and there. Relax, people.

Girls like to wear really short shorts.

I know that this trend did not start from Singapore, but I am really against wearing really short hot pants. Sometimes the pants are just long enough to cover their butts. Or maybe sometimes, not even all of their butts are covered. If you girls wanna show off your beautiful butts, why don't you just wear your underpants? :) That way, you won't have to waste money buying really short pants that are just a few centimeters bigger than your underpants.

Teachers are appreciated.

In Singapore, there's even a Teacher's Day celebration and school holiday. In Indonesia, we have a Teacher's Day but don't really celebrate it. It's really touching to see students give gifts to teachers. And unlike Indonesia, I think the teachers get pretty good pay. I mean, there are teachers that drive BMWs to school and own a house. In Indonesia, most of the time, that won't be possible.

So that's what I've gathered from the 1 year I've stayed in Singapore. If anybody feels offended... Then I'm sorry. I never meant to offend anybody. Singapore is truly an amazing place. If you're planning to visit Singapore... Well then you should look forward to it.

By the way, happy National Day, Singapore.

Byebyee!